A Slovakian right winger, Vincent Lukáč’s career lasted from 1971 through 1990, playing 14 seasons in the Czechoslovakian League, playing in 513 games and scoring 393 goals as one of the leading scorers in league history. He led the league in scoring in 1980 (40 goals) and 1982 (49 goals), and was given the 1983 Golden Stick Award as the top Czechoslovakian player. He was mostly known for his years with VSZ Košice (1967-81), but he played for HC Dukla Jihlava in 1981-82. Lukáč spent the last five years of his career in Germany, playing with Starbulls Rosenheim; Austria, with EV Wiener; and his final two seasons were spent in Scotland, with the Fife Flyers; and in England with the Streatham Redskins. He never played professionally in North America but was drafted by the Québec Nordiques in the 8th round of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft.
Lukáč played 146 times for Czechoslovakia, scoring 70 international goals. This included appearances at the 1980 and 1984 Winter Olympics, winning silver in 1984, and the 1984 Canada Cup. He competed four times at the World Championships (1977, 1982-83, 1985), winning gold medals in 1977 and 1985, and silver medals in 1982-83. Lukáč went into coaching after his playing career ended, coaching the Slovakian National Team, HC Košice, and MsHK Žilina. His son-in-law, Jiří Bicek, played seven seasons in the NHL and got his name on the Stanley Cup in 2003 with the New Jersey Devils.
Czechoslovakia
Slovakia